Ricciardo looking to 'kickstart' season in Bahrain

Daniel Ricciardo is confident Red Bull will kickstart its season at next week's Bahrain test after struggling for reliability at the opening test last month.

Red Bull only completed 21 laps during the first four days of testing and packed up early on the final day to head back to base and work on a solution. Ricciardo has been back at the factory in Milton Keynes this week and is sure the team has made a step forward.

"We're confident we'll run a bit smoother," he told the Australian Associated Press. "But it's so complex this year, until we get laps under our belt we can't really be sure of anything. I saw the car yesterday and they've made quite a bit of progress, so hopefully we'll get a few more laps and kickstart our season."

Ricciardo is going up against four-time champion Sebastian Vettel this season and said he is already learning from his new team-mate.

"Just by being around him at the track and at engineer briefings, even just hearing the way he communicates to team, I'll pick things up naturally from him and learn the ins and outs of how he works. Obviously he's not going to tell me how to drive around a corner - we're all capable of that now. But being behind the scenes with him is already good for me."